Pressure relief radiator cap



July 15, 1952 D. FRIEND PRESSURE RELIEF RADIATOR CAP Filed March 17, 1948 m is Patented July 15, 1952 UNITED STATES 'rs-NLT: crm-EL PRESSURE RELIEF vRnrmirrola,CAP

Dawson Friend, Connersville, Ind., assignorV to Stant Manufacturing Company, yConnersville,

Ind., a corporation of Indiana Y Application March 17, 1948, Serial No. 15,421

The present invention relates to a valved cap .provide a cap structure of such character that it may be used with or without an associated valve assembly; and to relate the structure of a valve assembly to that cap assembly in such fashion as to permit ready'connection or disconnection between the cap assembly and the valve assembly. A furtheroblect of the invention is to provide a valve assembly with spaced finger means resiliently engageable with depending support means incorporated in a cap assembly. A further object of the invention is so to construct the cooperating parts of the valve assembly and the cap assembly that, as the two assemblies are advanced toward each other in coaxial relation, the cooperable parts thereof will be cammed'automaticallyY into connecting relation. A further object of the invention is to provide connecting means of the character indicated so arranged that lthey may be caged within a coiled spring entrapped between the AcapV assembly "and lthe valve assembly. Another object 'of the invention is to provide 'an improved valve assembly including a pressure relief valve having an annular gasket for cooperation with a ller neck mouth, and a vacuum relief valve resiliently cooperating with the same gasket.

Still further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of my improved valved closure cap shown in closing relation with a filler neck for an automobile radiator, or the like, parts being broken away for clarity of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the improved valved cap; and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 3, 3 of Fig. 2^.

3 Claims. (o1. 22o- 44) Y Referringmore particularly to the drawings, It will be seen that I have illustrated a metal cap I0 having a depending Vannular flange Ii with which are associated tabs I2 `for vcooperation with Vthe* standard camming lugs I3 `of a filler neck `Ill of standard construction.y The cap is provided, inthe illustrated 'embodiment of my invention, ',withf'a `central depression or socket I5 in which is housed'one head ofva "rivet I6 which secures tothe inner surfaceV of said cap an element I1 having a perimetral annular depending portion I8 whichv terminates inan upturned, outwardly flaring annular lip I9'. The terminus of said lip, as it clearly` shown n'Fi'gs. 1 and 2, is substantially axially spaced from the facing inner surface of the cap I0. a

In accordance with standard practice, I prefer to provide agasket 20 surrounding lth e d,epres sion I5 andbearing against vthe inner-surface'of vthe cap, and a washer, 2l bearing against said A metal valvemember 22 is preferably provided with an upturned annular lipf23y and' with av central aperture 24. a `A hollow rivet'25 Asecures a gasket 26 to thelowervs'urface' of said valve member 22, saidgasket beingfadapted to engage a seat 21 at the mouth ofjthe filler neck I4 to seal the same. Thegsame rivet 25 secures, to the upper surface ofthe valve 22j an annular unit 2B to be described in detailhereinafter. A

Freely mounted in the openingv 23 through the rivet 25 is a valve "stem 3D provided at its upper end with a head 3|, and carrying at its lower end a second valve 32 which is pressed into cooperative engagement with the gasket 2B by a coiled spring 33 bearing against the unit 28 and against the stern head 3|. Thus, the spring 33 holds the valve 32 resiliently in cooperation with, the gasket 26 to prevent fluid flow through the opening 29 in the rivet 2f5.

The unit 28 comprises a plurality of resilient fingers 34 symmetrically arranged about the central axis of the valve member 22 and projecting upwardly away from said valve to a level substantially above the uppermost limit of movement of the stem 30'. In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, I have shown two such fingers 3d, diametrically spaced from each other; but it will be readily apparent that any desired greater number of fingers may be used if desired. At its upper end, each finger 34 is formed to provide an inwardly turned hook 35 which, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, inclines radially inwardly and toward the valve member 22. The radial distance from the axis of the valve member 22 to the tip of each finger hook 35, when said fingers are in positions of equilibrium, is somewhat less than the radial distance from said axis to the terminus of the lip I9. As a consequence, when the hooks 35 have been engaged with the lip I9, the tips of said hooks are located radially inwardly with respect to the terminus of the lip I9 to prevent axial disengagement, thereby holding the valve assembly against axial separation from the cap assembly. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the lip I9 is flared and the finger hooks 35 are inclined at such angles that, as the valve assembly and the cap assembly are advanced toward each other, while in coaxial re,- lation, the upper surfaces of the finger hooks will coact with the lower surface of the lip I 9 in a camming action to iiex the resilient ngers 34 outwardly to permit the tips of the finger hooks to pass the terminus of the lip I9, whereafter the fingers 34 will snap back to positions of equilibrium in which the hooks cannot be separated from the lip.

'Ihis condition is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, from a. consideration of which it will be apparent that the mutually facing surfaces of the fingers 34 will now cooperate with the lip I9 to limit transaxial relative movement between the cap assembly and the valve assembly.

A coiled spring 36 is preferably entrapped between the cap assembly and the valve assembly, said spring bearing at one end upon the valve member 22 and at its opposite end upon the washer 2|. It will be clear that the structure is such as to permit ready relative rotation between the cap assembly andthe valve assembly, and that a substantial degree of relative rocking movement between the two assemblies is also permitted. The spring 36 preferably surrounds the ngers 34 and lip I 9, thereby acting as a cage for the means connecting the two assemblies. While disconnection of the valve assembly from the cap assembly is easy for one who knows the construction of the device, by insertion of a tool between the voluticns of the spring 36 to flex one or the other of the fingers 34 outwardly, the cagng of the connecting means tends to obscure the construction of such means sufciently so that unauthorized separation of the two assemblies is inhibited.

I claim as my invention:

A1,. In a device of the class described, a cap,

an element fixed to the inner surface of said cap centrally thereof and having an annularly depending portion terminating in an upturned lip whose terminus is spaced from said cap surface, a rigid valve member having a. central opening therein, an annular gasket fixed to the lower surface of said valve member, a unit xed to the upper surface of said valve member and having an opening therein registering with said opening in said valve member, a second valve having a stem freely penetrating the openings in said valve member, gasket, and unit, said second valve being cooperable with said gasket to close said openings, spring means bearing on said unit and said stem and resiliently holding said second valve in cooperative engagement with said gasket, said unit including a plurality of resilient fingers symmetrically arranged about the axis of said openings and projecting away from said valve member beyond the uppermost position-of said stem, each nger terminating in an axiallyinwardly-directed hook turned toward said valve member, the radial distance from said axis to the tip of each hook being less than the radial dimension of said lip when said ngers are in positions of equilibrium, said hooks being engageable with said lip and disengageable therefrom by flexure of said lingers to secure said valve member removably to said cap.

2. The device of claim 1 including a coiled spring compressed between said cap and said valve member and urging axial separation thereof.

3. The device of claim 2 in which said coiled spring surrounds said fingers to form a cage therefor.

DAWSON FRIEND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,554,644 Moore Sept. 22, 1925 1,766,173 Hills June 24, 1930 2,068,626 Clifford Jan. 19, 1937 2,164,450 Eshbaugh et al. July 4, 1939 2,181,969 Eshbaugh Dec. 5, 1939 2,266,314 Eshbaugh Dec. 16, 1941 2,406,502 Lines Aug. 27, 1946 

